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The number of reported road accidents where ‘following too close to another vehicle’ was a contributory factor has almost halved in the last five years, according to analysis by TrackDays.co.uk.

Analysis of figures from the Department for Transport, by the driver training provider, highlighted that the number of reported accidents where following too close was a contributory factor have dropped by 48% year-on-year, from 7,023 in 2015 to just 3,582 in 2019, the latest year for which full figures are available.

It is one of the largest percentage drops of all the contributory causes of accidents caused by a lack of judgement.

Tailgating remains a factor in around one in eight casualties on England’s motorways and major A roads.

Dan Jones, operations manager at TrackDays.co.uk, said: “It’s very welcome to see such a dramatic drop in the number of reported accidents when following too close was a contributory factor.

“It could be due to a number of factors, perhaps most importantly though advanced safety features on modern cars, such as adaptive cruise control which help keep a safe distance from the car in front. But it would also be nice to think that drivers are now calmer and more considerate to their fellow road users.”

Earlier this year, new cameras aimed at catching drivers tailgating identified some 10,000 vehicles committing the offence in the first two weeks of trials.

A survey for Highways England found that while more than a quarter of drivers admitted to tailgating, nearly nine in 10 people say they have either been tailgated or seen it.

Meanwhile, more welcome news highlighted how the number of reported accidents when travelling too fast for the conditions was a contributory factor was also on a long-term decline, showing a significant decrease from 7,361 in 2015 to 4,666 in 2019, a decrease of 36%.

Additionally, there are also fewer reported accidents when disobeying automatic traffic signals, and disobeying ‘Give Way’ or ‘Stop’ signs and markings was a contributory factor.

Jones added: “Brits do appear to be becoming safer motorists in certain areas of driving, which has to be good news for all road users.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Highways England has seen an increase in road workers suffering abuse, despite traffic flows falling during coronavirus restrictions.

To mark Road Safety Week (November 16-22), Highways England urged all road workers to ensure they report any and all incidents of both incursions and abuse.

In the first nine months of 2020, it says there has been a 10% increase in abuse incidents compared to the first nine months of 2019.

Furthermore, it says there were nearly 6,500 incidents where vehicles ignored traffic restrictions and entered a traffic management area – so called incursions – between October 2017 and October 2020 – an average of 175 a month. 

Mark Byard, director of health and safety at Highways England, said: “Our roads keep the country moving, keep families connected and businesses in business, so our roadworkers are vital to everyone’s wellbeing, and their wellbeing is vital to us.”

Byard says that 175 reported incursions a month is “far too many” and urged members of supply chain to report all incidents of incursions and abuse. “Together we can make a difference,” he said.

Highways England has recently lead a cross-industry project to raise awareness of road worker safety. Collaborating with 18 supply chain companies across the highways industry, such as Amey, Balfour Beatty and Skanska, Highways England has spear-headed the creation and production of a short video aimed at the public to educate them that driving into roadworks puts construction and maintenance workers at risk.

The video is also accompanied by a further 13 short films produced by Highways England’s supply chain partners. Aimed at construction and maintenance roadworkers, they illustrate what to do if someone drives (or walks) into works. These videos are being used in training and briefings on sites to help keep the roadworkers on site safe from incursions.

James Haluch, managing director at Amey Highways and chair of the vehicle incursions working group, said: “In 2019, in Amey alone we recorded 753 actual vehicle incursions into our road closures.

“Worse still, we have an actual collision with a traffic management vehicle every four or so months. Each one of these results in injuries to our people and it is generally the case that the physical injuries heal far quicker than the mental health ones.

“I would not ask my kids to drive an impact protection vehicle so I do struggle asking my colleagues to. Hence this unprecedented collaboration by the Highways sector in raising awareness is so critical in helping to eliminate the risk to the people that maintain our road network to keep the country connected.

“A few moments lapse of concentration could be life changing.”

Highways England is urging all roadworkers to report any incidents of incursion or abuse using their companies existing methods for near miss reporting.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Government is calling on local authorities to stock-up on salt and grit to keep key routes open, while bolstering Highways England’s fleet of gritters. 

 

Roads minister Baroness Vere wants councils across the country to ensure key transport routes to Covid-19 test centres are kept open this winter.

In a letter to councils, she urged them to ensure they have adequate supplies of salt and grit as the country prepares for the potential challenge of severe weather alongside Covid-19.

Salt producers – through the Salt Association – have confirmed that production is at sufficient levels to protect road users over the coming months.

The Government has also invested more £16 million to help Highways England deploy 93 new gritters this winter on the country’s motorways and major A-roads.

The new gritters join a 535-strong winter fleet, including 23 snow blowers capable of removing up to 2,500 tonnes of snow per hour.

A further £40m will be invested by Highways England to help more than 250 replacement winter vehicles join the fleet.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We have worked tirelessly with the country’s highways teams to make sure our transport networks are kept open and running in whatever weather we encounter. 

“This year, it is more important than ever that Britain is prepared for the winter as we continue to tackle the pandemic. Through this work, we’ll ensure key routes to Covid-19 test centres remain open in the coming months.” 

Jim O’Sullivan, chief executive of Highways England, added: “Our winter fleet will be out treating our roads around the clock whenever ice or snow is forecast, but it is still important that drivers plan their journeys, make sure they are prepared for the winter weather and drive safely in all conditions.”

The UK’s rail network is also prepared for the more challenging weather conditions, with contingency plans put together so essential workers can rely on the railways.

Network Rail and train operators are implementing a range of measures, from deploying specialist cold-weather vehicles such as de-icers at strategic locations, to using inflatable flood defence measures, as well as special timetables ready to implement if needed. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) is urging the Government to change the way it reports road deaths to show danger as well as vulnerability.

The ‘What kills most on the roads?’ analysis from PACTS, highlights that pedestrians and cyclists rarely kill other road users while motor vehicles do.

It also shows that road users are much more likely to be killed in a car, or by a car, than any other mode.

The report shows that for every 100 pedestrians killed, almost two thirds involved a car (65), 11 involved a lorry, seven involved a van and six involved a bus.

David Davies, PACTS executive director, said the current way Department for Transport (DfT) figures are reported “can tie even the most seasoned road safety professional in knots”.

He said safety data can be open to misunderstanding which in turn can lead to “poor policy decisions”.

Davies said: “This new style of report shows road danger as well as vulnerability.

“It highlights the overall risks involved with different modes of transport, including the risks posed to others.”

PACTS is urging the DfT to include this form of analysis in its future publications, which it hopes will lead to a better understanding by experts, politicians and the media of the sources of road danger and how forward-thinking policies on active travel can be achieved in parallel with ambitious road safety objectives.

What kills most on the roads? report data shows:

For 100 pedestrians killed

• 65 deaths involved a car
• 11 involved a lorry
• 7 involved a van and
• 6 involved a bus

For 100 cyclists killed

• 48  deaths involved a car
• 12 involved a lorry
• 7 involved a van and
• and 14 involved no other vehicle

For 100 motorcyclist killed

• 33 involved a car
• 5 involved a lorry
• 5  involved a van
• 12 involved no other vehicle

In every 100 crashes, of those killed by HGV

• 42 were in cars
• 20 were walking
• 11 were motorcyclists
• 7 were cyclists
• 6 were in vans
• 4 were also in an HGV

In every 100 crashes, of those killed by a car

• 42 were walking
• 30 were also in a car
• 16 were on a motorcycle
• 7 were on a bicycle

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Ford will begin recalling Kuga PHEV models to replace their battery packs, following an announcement in August that a potential fault could lead to fires.

Sales of the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV were halted in the Summer when it was discovered that the car’s battery pack could overheat and cause a fire.

The manufacturer says it has now identified the cause of the issue and will replace the battery packs in all affected vehicles.

A statement issued by the brand said: “The root cause has been identified as a battery cell contamination issue in our supplier’s production process and we have determined that the best course of action for the safety of our existing customers is to replace the drive battery pack.”

The same issue was discovered with batteries used in some BMW plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The recall will require the car to be in a workshop for at least one day. Ford will offer a collection and delivery service, as well as courtesy vehicle where required.

Ford says it will carry out the necessary repair to all affected vehicles between late December 2020 and March 2021.

Ford will provide extended warranties or £500 fuel vouchers as compensation to affected owners.

Drivers are advised not to charge their vehicle and not to use the EV Mode, Sport or Snow settings until the vehicle has been repaired.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Fleet operators are at the nexus of the digital and physical realms.

Whilst more business is done online than ever before, just in time logistics help keep modern supply chains lean and profitable, and form a critical part of many business operations transporting materials from A to B.

Internet of Things (IoT) technologies are improving vehicle and driver safety, finding more efficient routes, and delivering great customer experiences.

These connections, which will soon benefit from 5G networks, power the modern economy but can also be exploited for unintended purposes.

Essentially, as more devices and systems connect to the internet, the greater the amount of targets threat actors (hackers) have to exploit.

Indeed, the attack surface of a modern vehicle has never been larger: infotainment systems; OBD II dongles needed for telematics and insurance; GPS navigation systems; digital key fobs; fleet management systems; dashcams etc. plus connected apps offering tracking and remote unlock services – these are all connected devices or systems that have the potential to be exploited by threat actors.

Heavy vehicles have connected more widely through satellite and cellular communications for quite some time.

Consequently, heavy vehicles currently have more avenues for remote access than light vehicles.

Coupled with a high level of electronic homogeneity within commercial trucking fleets, an adversary could easily develop viable exploits that could attack large numbers of vehicles simultaneously.

The benefits that connecting fleets brings must be balanced against cyber, safety and continuity risk to ensure a resilient business.

2019 blackhat threats on auto overtook whitehack threats for the first time (Source: Upstream).

Currently, ransomware is the preferred tactic used by threat actors with Check Point Research reporting a 50% increase in the daily average of ransomware attacks during 2020.

It’s taking its toll on businesses globally; this year the Australian logistics giant Toll Group suffered two ransomware attacks within three months and they have yet to disclose the full cost impact to the business.

Ransoms and unplanned costs can be hefty; IBM Security X-Force has reported seeing ransom demands of more than $40 million this year.

Although, that is a snip compared to the $400 million expenses Fedex faced in the first 12 months following the NotPetya malware incident in 2017.

Cyber-threats to connected fleets are not just limited to actions within a company’s own networks either, as the cyber threat may affect a manufacturer directly, and subsequently it’s customers.

With more research being conducted and the number of cyber attacks increasing, there may be additional disruption to connected fleets due to maintenance cycles and vehicle recalls.

In 2019 security researchers found Teletrac Navman, Global Telemetrics and LoJack smart tracker app APIs had authorization vulnerabilities, allowing a hacker or thief to take over the account, track individual vehicles in real time, suppress theft alerts, and extract personal data.

If a vehicle was alerted as stolen, the thief could also delete the alert and prevent any further action being taken.

One tracking device could be remotely triggered to immobilize the vehicle, stopping it from being driven (Upstream 2020). 

Threats come in other forms; using a vehicle as a weapon is a popular tactic for terrorists and extremists.

Lone actors and small cell operations don’t require large financial support when they can hire, or hijack, a vehicle and use it in an attack.

In recent years, individuals have driven vehicles as weapons into crowds of pedestrians in fatal attacks in major cities including New York, Edmonton, Toronto, London, Berlin and Nice, France.

The Global Terrorism Database recorded 12 incidents where vehicles were used as the weapon in a terrorist attack between 2015-2018 in the US alone.

There is a risk that threat actors with extreme political beliefs could utilise technology like connected vehicles to conduct an attack.

So what is being done?

Manufacturers are responding to threats by hosting bug bounty programs whereby white hat hackers try to identify any potential weaknesses.

These programs indicate a growing awareness of the vulnerabilities and potential damage, should they be exploited.

The Hackerone bug bounty platform hosts public vulnerability disclosure programs for both Ford and General Motors and shows the large number of vulnerabilities that existed before the programs launched.

Security by design principles are slowly becoming the standard for all IoT devices, yet with the myriad of devices that will be connected to the internet, let’s not forget the responsibility organisations and individuals have to ensure their devices, systems and networks are properly patched, updated and backed up safely and regularly.

Other measures can include encrypting data and systems, using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and even Intrusion Prevention Systems to prevent entry to vehicles and onboard systems being hacked.

With this type of security in place, it can also help to minimise operational risk and the business impact by including cyber insurance as part of an overall risk protection strategy.

Traditionally, cyber insurance has been an ‘add-on’ to existing commerical policies or only provided third party cover in the event of a breach, potentially leaving businesses woefully underinsured and without specialist expertise to remediate the short, medium and long-term impacts of a cyber attack.

It’s worth utilising tailored cyber insurance services as part of a comprehensive defense strategy against threat actors.

Connectivity, automation and electrification will continue to be the most dominant automotive technology trends in the next decade; Frost & Sullivan forecasts that by 2025, 55% of all trucks in North America will be part of connected fleets.

As technology advances, the potential for vulnerabilities to be exploited also grows, so fleet owners and operators need to consider the implications; how can they control cybersecurity risks while still embracing innovation?  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Driver wellbeing is ‘in the spotlight’ due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and needs addressing, says Rosie Sharp, behavioural sciences researcher at TRL.

Organisations that fail to resolve issues with driver wellbeing can result in more collisions, traffic violations and poor fuel economy, as drivers with poor mental health make more driver errors and drive more erratically, says Sharp.

She said: “Mental health and wellbeing isn’t usually something that you would initially associate with driver performance and the success of a fleet business, but I think it has more impact than most people realise.

“The other issues that organisations can face if they if they don’t address any wellbeing issues are things like staff being off sick, high staff turnover, poor customer service and even damage a corporate reputation.”

Sharp will be speaking at this year’s Virtual Fleet & Mobility Live conference on the second day of the event at 12pm.

In her session, ‘Mental health and wellbeing: looking after your drivers’, Sharp will be providing delegates with best practice advice on how to create an environment that promotes mental health and wellbeing and infrastructure to deal with wellbeing issues.

She said: “Change in attitudes and stigma towards mental health, particularly in male dominated industries which we know that fleets usually are, is not something that’s going to be done overnight.

“What can be done, is create an open and kind of reassuring organisation for employees to come forward and to be able to feel comfortable in talking about their mental health.

“Putting things in place like confidential employee helplines, trained managers or mental health first aiders and having post incident reviews, considering any mental health conditions that could have contributed to collisions.

“Driver wellbeing in always important, but I think particularly this year, in terms of Covid-19 it’s really in the spotlight now and something that needs addressing.”

Matt Hammond, head of fleet at Altrad Services, also said that focus on driver mental health and wellbeing can be key to safety and risk management within a fleet.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A third of drivers admitted to breaking the speed limit, with older, higher-earners among the worst offenders, a new survey has revealed.

It also highlighted a need for a greater number of visible speed limit signs, as motorists admit they have unwittingly broken the speed limit because they did not know the limit for the roads they were driving on. 

The findings were revealed by Venson Automotive Solutions, which ran the survey ahead of Brake Road Safety Week 2020, which is centred around speeding.

Simon Staton, director of client management at Venson Automotive Solutions, said: “Our survey findings suggest that more needs to be done to make people aware – both in terms of in-car tech to alert drivers to their speed and dominant signage on UK’s roads – of varying  speed limits, particularly in the wake of new reduced limits across many towns and cities.

“Driving a vehicle at excess speed is one of the most common motoring offences. However, with the HSE estimating that more than a quarter of all road traffic incidents may involve somebody who is driving as part of their work at the time, more must be done to curb speeding.

“Fleet managers and businesses need to ensure they have a Duty of Care policy in place that includes driver licence checking, driver risk assessments and driver training.

It is important to also monitor speeding fines and accident data to understand the drivers that pose a risk to the business, themselves and other road users, and work with them to improve their  behaviour behind the wheel.

Businesses can also encourage user-choosers to consider in-car technology to help them drive responsibly such as intelligent speed assistance systems. Educating drivers and ensuring best practices are in place will in turn save lives.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

New cameras aimed at catching drivers tailgating have identified some 10,000 vehicles committing the offence in the first two weeks of trials.

Tailgating, driving too closely to another vehicle, is a factor in around one in eight casualties on England’s motorways and major A roads.

Highways England and police have joined forces to tackle the offence, with motorists caught tailgating to be sent letters advising them they were too close to another vehicle and highlighting the dangers of not leaving safe braking distances.

Highways England’s head of road safety, Jeremy Philips, said: “These new cameras have, sadly, highlighted just how many people are driving too close on our roads.

“We understand that most tailgating is unintentional by drivers who are simply unaware they are dangerously invading someone else’s space. But not leaving enough space between you and the vehicle in front can be very frightening and intimidating – it could also prove fatal.”

More than 130 people killed or seriously injured in incidents involving people driving too close in 2018.

Caroline Layton, a data and intelligence analyst for Highways England, says she feared her small car was going to be “crushed” when she was tailgated by a lorry in motorway roadworks.

She was travelling within the speed limit through roadworks on the M27 when the lorry started to pull closer to her vehicle.

Footage captured on her rear dash cam shows the driver flashing his lights and gesticulating at her before he eventually indicates and overtakes her.

She said: “He came up really close, just a couple of metres behind. I thought I had to slow down because if it hit me at 50mph I would be crushed.

“This was very intimidating behaviour and likely to cause a crash and serious injury. If anyone had stopped in front of me he would have gone into the back of my car and I would have been sandwiched in the middle.

“From the driver’s seat, all I could see in my rear-view mirror was the lorry’s grill.”

A survey for Highways England found that while more than a quarter of drivers admitted to tailgating, nearly nine in 10 people say they have either been tailgated or seen it.

PC Dave Lee of Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team, which is supporting the trial, said: “Motorists who experience tailgating can often feel intimidated and put under pressure to increase their speed in a bid to create more space between them and the offending vehicle.

“However, we have seen first-hand the devastating consequences which tailgating can cause. People who carry out this extremely dangerous behaviour are not just putting themselves at risk, but the lives of other road users.

“Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our county’s road network remains a policing priority for the Force, which is why it is important to work with our partners on such campaigns in a bid to save lives by making our roads safer.”

Highways England has been working with infrastructure consultancy AECOM on the cameras.

Philips said: “We are trialling the new cameras to make drivers aware of their behaviour and encourage better driving.

“We are also using the Space Invader video game character as a quick reminder to drivers of the risks of tailgating. Our message is simple – Don’t be a Space Invader, Stay safe, stay back.”

Highways England has a dedicated webpage where drivers can find more information about tailgating and what they can do to stay safe.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

IAM RoadSmart is calling for clearer guidelines on the use of police technology to encourage use of mobile safety cameras and dash cams in prosecuting motorists using handheld mobile phones and not wearing seatbelts.

It found that nearly two thirds of police forces contacted were not using mobile safety cameras to prosecute motorists spotted committing these offences, as they incorrectly thought it was illegal. Unbelievable!

The road safety charity believes the inconstancy is encouraging motorists to flout the law and has highlighted the issue as part of its response to the Department for Transport’s Roads Policing review.

Neil Greig, policy and research director at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Clearer guidelines must be created so that police forces can be confident that they can enforce laws with the equipment available to them today – laws which were specifically designed to reduce the number of road casualties.

“Our research showed that the use of mobile safety cameras to pursue phone users and seatbelt offenders varies from one force to another. What we need are clear and consistent guidelines on what the cameras can be used for, what training staff need and how the images can be used as evidence.

Stiffer penalties are only part of the enforcement jigsaw and fear of being caught must be increased so that resources are not wasted, or drivers think they can get away with flouting the law.”

The findings, which came from a Freedom of Information request, revealed that out of the 44 police forces, only 16 of them used images from the cameras to pursue these offences as a matter of routine, with a further four doing so occasionally.

In addition, not all forces have adopted ‘Operation Snap’, which seeks to integrate dash cam footage into the prosecution system.

With 70% of drivers thinking mobile phone use behind the wheel has got worse in the last three years and 90% seeing it as a threat to their personal safety, IAM RoadSmart believes more must be done to utilise available technologies to improve road safety and reduce the number of road casualties.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News.